1. Field of the Invention
The instant disclosure relates to a sensor module; in particular, to a sensor module capable of measuring the traveling speed, pedaling efficiency, and the like of a bicycle.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, sensor modules for bicycles are mounted onto either the front fork or rear fork of a bicycle frame. A magnet is usually attached to a wheel spoke. When riding the bicycle, the sensor module on the bicycle frame can pick up a bike's wheel rotation. The reading is used to measure parameters such as bike speed, distance traveled on a bike, pedaling speed/efficiency, etc.
The conventional sensor module, particularly to those mounted on the rear forks of the bicycles, generally includes two magnetic reed switches. One of the switch measures the pedaling efficiency, while the other switch reads the wheel rotations. To interact with the magnet on the crank arm of the pedaling pad, one of the reed switches has to be mounted at a predetermined position on the rear fork. Whereas for the wheel spoke, to maintain proper magnet-switch interaction, the distance between the other reed switch and the spoke-mounted magnet must constantly be adjusted. Thus, the existing sensor module lacks convenience quality. In addition, since the bike wheels and rear forks come in different types and sizes, the conventional modules may not have sufficient adjustment available.
For an alternative sensor module, one magnetic reed switch is used to measure the pedaling efficiency, while the other magnetic reed switch is cabled to the bicycle frame. Such configuration is applicable to bicycles with different wheel sizes. However, when the magnetic reed switches are mounted on the rear fork, the excess cable may dangle from the bicycle and must be bundled up. Over a period of time, the electric wires inside the cable may become damaged. The cable bundled to the rear fork is also less aesthetically appealing.
To address the above issues, the inventor strives via industrial experience and academic research to present the instant disclosure, which can effectively improve the limitations described above.